How fast should you expand?

[Dracos]

Is it better to conquer as much as you can as fast as you can, or do you need to pace yourself? I'm still trying to get the feel of the game, so I'm not sure.

[Problem Solver]

There really is no right or wrong way to play the game. Play anyway you want and have fun.
For me; I try to expand quickly. Then upgrade the newly acquired cities with a army or two close by for defense. Then push forward again and repeat process

[Velkhana's Summer]

depends on the faction, starting areas have a drastic effect on which option you should choose, also the difficulty at which you're playing

[yojimbo1111]

Kind of depends on the faction and what you're comfortable with. Expansion brings in money but requires hiring more armies. Defending can be slow to start but once you have elite armies you can expand quickly. The important thing is don't invest money in settlements you'll lose. You don't have to build everything.

[Velkhana's Summer]

Originally posted by Velkhana's Summer:

depends on the faction, starting areas have a drastic effect on which option you should choose, also the difficulty at which you're playing

Anything below very hard difficulty I go where as please, anything higher I recruit multiple lords early spread my army out after capturing a province then wait for walls to finish on every settlement

[konokono]

There's two types of expansion: tall (building up your main settlements) and wide (getting more settlements). Tall is pretty much always important to get higher tier troops. Wide really depends. Before expanding wide I want to make sure my economy can support defending that region until it can be developed into a net positive income. The main exceptions are: A) it is a high wealth location like Mt Gunbad or Marienburg, or B) it is a strategic location, i.e. a chokepoint or a location with a unique building chain, or C) I want to deny that settlement to a rival faction.

[Lunos]

Really depends on your faction. Some factions have to deal with significant public order issues or other mechanics like food which will limit expansion to an extent. Both methods work though. You can turtle in a few provinces and build your economy and military before exploding out and taking everything quickly or expand very fast at the beginning then build up as you go.

Both have pros and cons as well. If you expand slowly, you give other empires the time to take territory and get very very large and scary. Then you have to either ally with them or take on a superpower. Expanding quickly will net you lots of land and money preventing others from taking it but you will run into more factions much more quickly which usually results in multiple front wars which can also ruin your campaign.

Go with what you feel comfortable with at the moment. If you can't expand, then focus your economy and upgrading your army. If you can expand, go for it.

[A.Pot]

really depends on how well you can defend.

[ZZZZZ]

as fast as you can without risking.. thats the answer for everything.. as vampire lords it means that every turn sitting in settlement without action is a lost turn.. same for dark elves, norsca,tk and greenskins..skaven depends.. all others need to build buildings for recruitment

[Ol' Knife Ears <3]

If you don't think you can hold it, don't take it. One of the worst ways to spiral into a lost campaign is to build an empire on tenuous territories. When trying to push into new areas, ask yourself these questions:

-Is the area even worth holding? Some places are so unruly and geographically innavigable that it's best to leave it a barren wasteland.

-Can it be left alone without falling into rebellions or constant attacks from enemy forces?

-Will this expansion put me into conflict with another faction?

-Is this a good long term direction to expand in? Beating up on wimpy minor factions might seem tempting, but going for easy pickings may lead to a far more ambitious neighbor snowballing right onto your front doorstep.

A small footnote here: rapid expansion for your first two regions is generally the best strategy, since you need enough resources to support a full stack army, with change left over for building on a timely schedule. After that things can vary depending on location and faction.

[LuNi]

As fast as you can consolidate. There is a serious risk in overextending.

[wrought82]

i go as fast as i can generally, without making new enemies. Go to great lengths to finish an enemy before starting a new one, but always have a war going.
You dont need to hold new territory, you just need to make bank taking it and having it for a while. dont build anything other than one or two economy buildings in settlements you arent sure you can hold, then take it again when it falls to rebels/enemies.

I havent really noticed any danger to overextending as long as you stick to those rules. AI is slow in its aggression, it generally wont take more than a settlement every few turns giving you time to build up and redirect armies, you are actually safer having a buffer area of low investment settlements than just a core of settlements that will cost you a ton to lose

[MrSoul]

As fast as she needs you to

[BigBeardThoRN]

I usually start expanding when I know a region can save itself (Garrison/walls) if you go too quick those undefended regions can be Just as easily taken back by enemies or razed by beastman if your unlucky.

However sometimes bumrushing and taking a region can help hinder the enemies growth or destroy their build up unit buildings.

All about the context of the situation.

[Ashley]

Depends on location and who you're facing. If you're facing anyone who can use underway it can be a huge trouble if a few or even 1 army underways through mountains to your weakspots. But keep in mind the longer you wait the stronger they get too assuming they don't get beat.

[Iolaus]

Works both ways really, play how you want to play.

I personally think that early expansion is less effective at the start, especially on higher difficulty. While you lack money at the start, AI get handed money and growth on a silver plate. Capturing level 1-2 settlements will bring little benefit - you need to wait for them to grow, then spend loads of money on buildings. Levelling up your lord as much as possible at the start and then capturing juicy level 3-4 (even 5) settlements that AI cheated to building up worked better in my experience.

Of course there are some exceptions, and it is better to conquer some of your neighbors as soon as possible in certain campaigns. Not for the sake of expansion, but for the fact that it is really difficult to take them out later on if you let them build up.

You play and you learn what works best for you in each campaign.